Greenpeace unveils billboard in Texas that spoofs Shell ad

Fake Shell advertisements spreading on the web

Environmentalists who oppose Shell’s planned exploratory oil drilling in Arctic waters have taken their campaign to Texas.

Greenpeace mounted a satirical billboard on the highway near Shell’s Houston headquarters this morning. The billboard shows polar bears and proclaims: “You can’t run your SUV on cute. Let’s Go.”

The spoof is one of a handful of fake “Let’s Go! Arctic” advertisements on the ArcticReady.com protest website that drilling foes launched earlier this year. The website, which is modeled to look like an authentic Shell site and created by Greenpeace and the Yes Lab, includes an iceberg-zapping game and more spoof ads.

Greenpeace said it chose the ad on the Houston billboard from over 10,000 user-generated online submissions at the site. The do-it-yourself ads have an assortment of captions including “Turn the power on. It’s time to melt some ice” and “Birds are like sponges…for oil.”

The Houston billboard is just the latest move in a busy week for Arctic drilling foes, who have been staging protests around the globe to draw attention to Shell’s planned oil exploration in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Activists in England, Holland, Germany and other countries unfurled “#SaveTheArctic” banners and blocked access to Shell filling stations earlier this week. The Guardian described some of the protesters’ tactics in England, which involved using an emergency-shut-off switch to halt flowing gasoline and then removing a fuse to keep it from coming back to life.

About 70 Greenpeace activists also blocked access to Shell’s headquarters in The Hague and hung a banner on the building proclaiming “Stop Shell, Save The Arctic” last week.

Greenpeace, the Yes Lab and members of the Occupy Wall Street movement staged an elaborate — but entirely fake — Arctic drilling celebration in May at Seattle’s Space Needle, complete with a derrick-shaped drink dispenser that spewed dark oil-like liquid all over a guest. A video of the hoax went viral on YouTube, steering millions of viewers to the fake Shell “Arctic Ready” website.

Dan Howells, deputy campaigns director for Greenpeace U.S. said the actions shine a spotlight on public concerns about Arctic drilling.

“People see through Shell’s PR to the truth, that Arctic drilling is a profit grab by one of the world’s richest corporations at the expense of everyone else on the planet,” Howells said. “This campaign has given people a chance to tell Shell exactly what they think.”

Activists say they are finding new, creative ways to shine a spotlight on Shell’s Arctic drilling plans, following the company’s successful pursuit of a federal injunction that bars protesters from encroaching on Shell’s drilling rigs or support ships in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas north of Alaska. Violations would mean hefty fines and potential jail time.

In March, Shell successfully convinced a federal district judge to issue a temporary restraining order barring Greenpeace from interfering with the operation of the Discoverer and Kulluk drilling rigs Shell will be using. In May, the injunction was broadened to cover Shell’s Arctic drilling operations within 200 miles of the shoreline.

The spoof ads and videos circulating online show the protesters’ prowess at using social media to get their message across — and seem to give them an advantage over slower moving corporate foes.

Still, Shell has fought back against some anticipated protests. After Greenpeace activists, including actress Lucy Lawless, were arrested in February after they boarded the Discoverer drillship as it sailed from New Zealand to Seattle, Shell went to court to block similar action in U.S. waters.

In March, Shell successfully convinced a federal district judge to issue a temporary restraining order barring Greenpeace from interfering with the operation of the Discoverer and Kulluk drilling rigs Shell will be using. In May, the injunction was broadened to cover Shell’s Arctic drilling operations within 200 miles of the shoreline.

The Interior Department has approved Shell’s broad plan to drill 10 exploratory wells in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas over the next two summers. But the company still must get permits for each well before launching that work. It also has to obtain a Coast Guard certificate of inspection for a barge that will hold key emergency equipment.